Tag Archives: Proof of Heaven controversy

The Beatles were definitely on to something when they wrote, “All You Need is Love.” It may sound cliché but whether you’re a skeptic or romantic I think we can all agree on the most powerful emotion in the world. Yep, that’s right. We’re talking about love. That four-letter word gives you all the super powers you need.

I recently met with best selling author, Eben Alexander. You may have heard of his book “Proof of Heaven” or perhaps his second, “Map to Heaven” where he revealed how he found some peace and healing through self- discovery in a tragic event. In his first book, “Proof of Heaven,” Alexander touched millions of hearts through his story of a near death experience and experience in heaven. But at the same time his story raised some serious questions and doubts held by many readers. They put him on what’s known as a “skeptical trial.” But with his own experiences validating life after death’s existence, Dr. Alexander fearlessly stood his ground and remained transparent to share his story of pure truth with the world.

Dr. Eben Alexander is one of the top neurosurgeons in the country, with a blossoming career of 25 years. He is a well-respected academic with the best credentials one can have, from both Harvard and Duke University. But he decided to risk it all by sharing his NDE that led him down the path to heaven. And as soon as “Proof of Heaven” hit the New York Times Best Selling List, skeptics and non-believers lined up in a rush to debate his story. Some questioned his sanity, saying it was all just a hallucination. Some called him delirious and accused him of fabricating the whole experience, demanding more proofs. But one thing Dr. Alexander never backed down. He was telling his own truth.

Dr. Alexander is brain expert, performing thousands of brain surgeries and maintaining a firm stance on what makes up consciousness. So it seemed surprising a man of his stature would risk his reputation to tell a tale beyond this world resembling that of a fantasy. Nonetheless, he told his story with confidence and explained his belief that the mind can exist separately from the brain. And because we do not yet have a full explanation for mind and consciousness, skeptics avoid the turn to supernatural explanations, believing it is all just an attempt to fill a void.

Dr. Alexander’s does not stand alone. Millions of people all over the world have had similar occurrences and the common dominator of most of these stories has been the feeling of unconditional love. Yes, we’re back to love. To get the most out of NDEs you must keep an open mind and open heart and let love into your life. Life and death is an unavoidable journey for each and every one of us. There are moments that we will never forget, events that change our lives forever in a split second. The steep turns that we take, challenges we face, always bring us to the same place. We are crafting the legacy we will leave behind. Everything has a price.

The questions and doubts remain of the realms of heaven. It is a concept many struggle with as we are on the path to discovery. But the overall meaning is simple; we can create love manually because it is found in our hearts manuals.

When I asked Dr. Eben Alexander for directions on how to get to heaven he said I’ll never find it if I search for it with my mind in a mechanical sense. Throughout my interview, his passionate words swept me up in intrigue and all of my questions for him drifted away. To me, his story is unlike any other. I was left in awe and filled with wonder. Unfortunately, we know finding heaven won’t be as easy as entering an access code. Open sesame? I wish! But our world is filled with many mysteries that are not easily explainable. We may never know, was Dr. Alexander’s NDE a real trip to heaven or a product of neural activity?

Science and spirituality may not be a match made in heaven, but who can determine the truth for anyone today? We need to look deeper and continue our search. We must dig, observe and keep our eyes open for any sign that leads us to truth and understanding. We have a chance to open our mind and hearts to transform our lives by accepting the most powerful feeling in the world, love. It is there we will find ourselves in heaven. Doesn’t it sound perfectly sublime?